1. Field
Some embodiments are related to optical elements for enhancing color discrimination by persons having visual insensitivity between colors, e.g., the correction of colorblindness, which can assist a person or other mammal in distinguishing a first visible color wavelength from a second visible color wavelength.
2. Description of the Related Art
Color blindness is generally recognized as a decreased ability to perceive differences between some of the colors that others can distinguish. Several types of colorblindness exist. A protanomalous individual is less sensitive to red light than normal individuals and thus, suffers from a darkening effect of the red end of the spectrum. A deuteranomalous individual possesses a mutated form of the green pigment, which is shifted towards the red end of the spectrum resulting in a reduction in sensitivity to the green area of the spectrum. Similar to the protanomates, deuteranomates are poor at discriminating small differences in hues in the red, orange, yellow, green region of the spectrum. This red-green colorblindness, which is the most common form of the condition, causes many of these hues to appear shifted towards the red end of the color spectrum. Other colorblind individuals are tritanomalous and possess a mutated form of the blue pigment, which causes a shift towards the green area of the spectrum.
Several methods have been proposed for the correction of colorblindness in human beings. The contents of each of the references discussed below are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Generally, options to correct for lack of visual color discrimination include using differential coloration, filtration, and spectral transmission between concurrently used lenses. Other patents disclose associating color with other visual indicators, e.g., cross hatching, as a manner for correcting visual color deficiencies.